The Odyssey (Penguin Clothbound Classics)

This book presents a 1991 update of E. V. Rieu's lively and accessible 1946 translation of the Odyssey, revised by his son D. C. H. Rieu. The Odyssey is well known and influential, but as with many great works of art, one can often be surprised upon examining the original as opposed to the distorted shadows of it that we inherit from popular culture. The book is mostly focused on Odysseus's household and the events surrounding the moment of his return, and those household characters are well-developed and have storylines of their own. Events do not unfold in chronological order, and Odysseus's famous sea adventures and role in the Trojan war are mostly told in flashbacks as various characters recount them. The importance of hospitality is a strongly emphasized theme throughout, and feels almost as central as the theme of home and family. Odysseus himself is a complicated character, and the question of whether his actions are ethical or heroic is often left open to multiple interpretations. All of this results in a richer and more interesting experience of the story than I expected. I read Homer's Iliad from this same Penguin clothbound series first, but when I got into the Odyssey I began to notice some minor differences with the translation choices. The reason is that while Rieu's translation of the Iliad was more thoroughly and consistently revised and updated (by Peter Jones), the Odyssey was only lightly or partly revised. One result is that it retains some mid-century British style that can sound a bit dated to us or anachronistic to the ancient Greek context. Despite those minor misgivings (which only a perfectionist would care about really), this is still a great edition of the Odyssey and has lots of helpful introductory material. I also love the quality of the binding and the sea-green color scheme of the cover and ribbon (though I can't help wondering what it would look like if it had more of a bluish-purple or indigo hue in keeping with Homer's descriptions of the sea as wine colored).

Wish they had higher quality options with real leather cover that book name doesn’t rub off from reading by time you get through with the book. Held together, pretty captivating inside, a classic I had to add to my shelf to become a more learn’ed man.

Aside from the tale, itself, this edition is a good one; good size, well bound, quite sufficient paper thickness, and printing that's large enough and very clear and readable. Have bought a copy for a gift, knowing the quality of this one. I have seen Dawn's rosy fingers!

These are my favorite books. Pristine look with great translation

I bought this book as a gift for my niece and she loves it. The cover is classic without being too old looking. It’s perfect.

General reading

The only problem I had was the UPC Bar Code Label When I removed the label it left a sticky, nonremovable dark spot on the book. The spot attracts dust and dirt. Otherwise, very happy with contents of the book.

This book serves better as a decoration piece than one you want to spend time passing around to friends. Not that the content of the book isn't worth reading, you just don't want to ruin the aesthetic quality of this book. If you are buying the book to simply read there are cheaper versions out there. But if you want to add quality and smart decor to your home this is a great purchase. The cover looks better in person than online. Quality product.

Excelente produto

Lovely cover on this edition, very classy.

Beautiful book

Fantastic quality book. Bought as a gift, will have to get one myself!

Arrivato in condizioni perfette